ALIEN: ROMULUS (2024) review
‘written by: Fede Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues
produced by: Ridley Scott, Michael Pruss & Walter Hill
directed by: Fede Álvarez
rated: R (for bloody violent content and language)
runtime: 119 min.
U.S. release date: August 16, 2024
20th Century Studios, no longer Fox after being acquired by The Mouse, can now be compared to Weyland-Yutani, the real antagonist of the “Alien” universe. Just as that fictional evil mega-corporation has utilized every available resource to procure a living specimen of the slobbery xenomorph-with-acid-for-blood, so too has the studio gone out of its way to keep the alien alive and profitable. There have been sequels, prequels, and crossovers, and now we have “Alien: Romulus,” which can be considered an interquel. The main goal here is to lure a new generation of viewers (as evidenced by the marketing) into proximity to the “perfect organism.” Still, those well-versed in face-hugging will be experiencing something familiar. Whether or not that’s a welcome concept depends on the viewer.
There was a time, though, when “Alien” sequels offered something different and new with each outing. Say what you will about 1992’s “Alien 3” and 1997’s “Alien: Resurrection,” but they weren’t repetitive or trying to recapture what came before them in the franchise.
After master engineer Ridley Scott returned to direct two beautiful-looking prequels, 2012’s “Prometheus” and 2015’s Alien: Covenant”, bringing new and big ideas with arguable results, the studio passed the reigns to Fede Álvarez (“Don’t Breathe”). Having directed 2013’s “Evil Dead,” the Uruguayan filmmaker proved he knows something about re-imagining an existing franchise after his “Evil Dead” in 2013.
Set between 1979’s “Alien” and 1986’s “Aliens,” two highly influential stone-cold sci-fi classics, “Alien: Romulus” has its share of callbacks that play with iconography, yet there are almost enough fresh ideas to offer another worthy thrill ride. Granted, this is an amazing-looking sci-fi feature with impressive visuals that use both practical effects and CGI.
The movie opens with a space sequence that was a little confusing at first, yet once I caught on, I found it to be a tad derivative and uninspired. We follow a Weyland-Yutani space probe retrieving a specimen that the company has been searching 17-years for. In 2142, they find it floating in the wake of the destruction of the Nostromo, the space tug from “Alien,” which means that Álvarez (who co-wrote the screenplay with Rodo Sayagues) is picking up right where that movie left off. These corporate scientists decided to bring the specimen aboard the space station Renaissance for research, and you can imagine how that turns out.
Not far off is Jackson’s Star Mining Colony, owned by Weyland-Yutani and home to our primary antagonists, Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny) and Andy (David Jonsson), her synthetic being programmed to be her “brother” by her late father. After spending years toiling away on a planet that never sees sunshine, Rain is crushed when her request to be transferred to a more hospitable environment is denied when her contract is extended another five years.
Feeling hopeless, Rain is offered a shot at relocation when her ex-boyfriend and fellow miner, Tyler (Archie Renaux), includes her in a plan to commandeer a decommissioned ship aboard the Renaissance. The plan is to use the cryo chambers onboard (which humans use for space travel) to escape to Yvaga, a more hospitable planet. However, they need Andy for the mission since he’s the only one who can access the ship’s computer system, and Rain comes with Andy. With her options limited, Rain decides to join the crew, which also consists of Tyler’s pregnant sister, Kay (Isabel Merced), his cousin Bjorn (Spike Fearn), and his pilot girlfriend, Navarro (Aileen Wu).
As their hauler nears the Renaissance – separated into two parts, Romulus and Remus – they learn that the space station will soon be crashing into the nearby planetary rings. This mission will have to move quicker than planned. Once on board, Álvarez and cinematographer Galo Olivares create a mood and tone similar to the video game “Dead Space” that’s a compliment. Like the atmosphere of that game, any threat can be around the corner in this abandoned location. This is something that viewers are aware of more than the young characters on the screen, which is something designed to heighten the anxiety of the audience. That works for most of “Alien: Romulus,” especially in this first act. During this first act, Álvarez and Sayagues play with gravity on board the space station, which will play a significant factor in one of the more chilling and visually exciting action sequences in the movie’s third act.
In their rush to access the cryo chambers, Tyler and Bjorn inadvertently reanimate a lab that stores alien face-huggers. This not only triggers a lockdown but also quickly escalates confusing and horrific situations for Rain and the others, all of whom must struggle to survive and escape this alien threat.
This is the first Alien movie where we get an idea of what life is like on Jackson’s Star for the colonists in the employment of Weyland-Yutani. These manual laborers, primarily miners, live in dire straits, a dismal place in industrial darkness. That’s an interesting approach for “Alien: Romulus” to take, offering relatable characters who want a better life for themselves. Not much time is spent on the everyday life of these characters, which is understandable considering the goal is to get face-huggers flying and acid-spewing as soon as possible.
Like Ridley Scott’s two prequels, this movie has compelling moments of visual spectacle early on. The ascension of Tyler’s hauler, the Corbelan, through active storms in the atmosphere is breathtaking, especially set to the haunting score composed by Benjamin Wallfisch. Once in orbit, there’s a serene moment where all on board find themselves basked in the sunshine of a nearby sun. Rain is awestruck, feeling sunlight on her face for likely the first time. Even more poignant is that we know this will also be her last moment of calm and peace.
Most Alien movies offer a new take on the use of synthetic lifeforms, especially if and how the humans around them accept them. This subject was taken to fascinating developments in Scott’s prequels, with actor Michael Fassbender delivering an award-worthy performance as a curious synthetic. In the past, synthetics have threatened the crew, like Ian Holm’s Ash in “Alien,” as well as a valuable resource, such as Lance Henrikson’s Bishop in “Aliens.” In “Romulus”, Andy combines what we’ve seen before, but perhaps closest to Winona Ryder’s Call from “Alien: Resurrection”, both of whom come closest to being human.
David Jonsson (“Rye Lane”) delivers undoubtedly the best performance in “Romulus,” which isn’t saying much since the endeavor’s focus isn’t necessarily providing an opportunity for any of the actors portraying humans to stretch their chops much. Jonsson’s work stands out partly because we haven’t seen a synthetic so closely attached to a human in the Alien universe. Before her parents died from mining-related illnesses, Rain’s father programmed Andy to serve as a sibling to her and to protect her.
Curiously, Andy comes across as socially awkward with a somewhat insecure personality. He is keen to comfort Rain by dispensing corny dad jokes (probably programmed by her father). Jonsson lands just the right frequency for the role, and he and Spainey have great chemistry together, making me wish more time was spent with these “siblings.” But, then again, we know what the goal is here.
Andy isn’t the only synthetic in “Alien: Romulus,” though. A damaged one named Rook (who looks very similar to the late Ian Holm’s Ash) is turned back on seemingly for the sole purpose of offering exposition and an underlying menace. At first, it’s a little unsettling to see this play out – partly because it’s akin to using AI to resurrect a dead actor and also because it’s one of many visual callbacks in the movie – but, after a while, the whole thing reminded me of how Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley re-charges a discarded Bishop in “Alien 3”. The difference is Henriksen was alive then (still is) and provided the voice of Bishop, but here, Álvarez is taking a dead actor and reanimating him.
I would be more upset if Holm had played a human, but with a synthetic, it just winds up seeming like an animatronic one would see at Disney World. Ultimately, they didn’t need to use a synthetic that looked like Holm’s Ash for Rook (voiced by British actor Daniel Betts). The decision returns to the callbacks, but utilizing another actor wouldn’t be a problem. After all, why would every android look the same?
“Alien: Romulus” definitely continues the tradition of having a female protagonist who becomes something of a Final Girl. Spaeny, who has recently stood out in her last two roles (“Priscilla” and “Civil War”), is good here, but there are times when she looks twelve years old, which is kind of distracting. It also doesn’t help that we really don’t know what skills these human characters have. They’re assumably miners, and one is a pilot. But how exactly can they survive out of their element?
Still, something must be said about an ill-prepared group of humans encountering such an alien menace. It’s reminiscent of the prisoners Ripley had to work within “Alien 3” to take care of a xenomorph threat. Because this young crew is woefully green, the movie takes on a snappy pace that ramps up the intensity. Scares are well-earned due to the pressure they are under, not to mention the pending collision course their spacecraft is on.
How you respond to the end of the third act will depend on how you felt about the end of the third acts of “Prometheus” and “Alien: Resurrection.” It earned me a bit of an eye roll because I’ve seen those movies and found myself wishing for something different and new for this franchise. That said, if “Romulus” is your first Alien movie, you might be better off.
If you’ve seen every Alien movie and don’t mind the constant callbacks from all of them in “Romulus,” not to mention line recycling, you may get more out of this swiftly-paced installment. Álvarez definitely succeeds in getting the franchise back on its sci-fi/horror brand with its creepy and violent presentation; I wish it was doing more of its own thing or at least attempting to.
NOTE: I watched “Alien: Romulus” in Dolby and didn’t expect sound complications to impact my overall viewing experience negatively. The sound design constantly drowning out dialogue will do that. It doesn’t help that most human dialogue (and Andy) has thick British accents. I wasn’t the only one who experienced that at my screening or other viewings. I wouldn’t mind a rewatch with open caption subtitles, but there are few options for such amenities.
RATING: **1/2
